The transmission of infectious disease is a matter of increasing concern among healthcare professionals. It has long been known that medical instruments must be decontaminated, in order to prevent the spread of infectious disease among different patients with whom the medical apparatus comes in contact. Decontamination includes the removal of foreign material such as chemical or radiological contaminants, as well as sterilization and disinfection. Sterilization is a form of decontamination in which all forms of microbial life are killed. Disinfection is a relative term meaning that the microbial burden of an instrument is reduced but not eliminated. Some medical apparatus, such as stethoscopes, are decontaminated only infrequently. The design, construction, and expense of the device can impede decontamination procedures. Decontamination of medical apparatus usually requires time consuming procedures or special equipment, which further reduces the likelihood that the medical apparatus will be decontaminated after each and every use. In order to avoid the need for decontamination, the medical industry has increasingly utilized disposable devices or devices with disposable portions, such as covers.